Five Finger Death Punch Taking Steps to Help Ivan Moody Battle Addiction

It's no secret that Five Finger Death Punch frontman Ivan Moody has struggled with addiction. His battles with alcohol were even a major focus of a recent lawsuit brought against the band by their current label, Prospect Park. The band has since stated that Moody completed a rehab stint, and now guitarist Zoltan Bathory has revealed how the rest of the band is helping the singer resist the temptations of the road.

In an interview with Metal Hammer, Bathory explained how Five Finger Death Punch are altering their lifestyle on tour, stating, "You have to change the habits on the road – what happens, what’s on the rider. You have to take off all the alcohol – even mouthwash. It’s about trying to eliminate all of the triggers."

Acknowledging Moody is "battling his demons," he elaborated on why it can be so difficult to turn down opportunities to party, continuing, "If you have any kind of addiction or addictive personality, everybody wants to hang out and party. People are going to come up to you and say, ‘Hey man, let me buy you a drink,’ or ‘Let’s hang out.’ For them, that’s a big thing. They don’t realize that to us, it was the same thing yesterday, and the day before that, and the past 300 days before that. But you don’t want to be rude – it’s just hard for people to understand that."

In May 2015, Five Finger Death Punch endured on onstage meltdown that saw drummer Jeremy Spencer engage in an argument with Moody onstage. The conflict culminated in the band walking offstage before finishing their set. Guitarist Jason Hook blamed the incident on Moody being "s--tfaced drunk" and Moody admitted the incident was "humiliating."

After a falling out with Prospect Park, Five Finger Death Punch have found a new label home in Rise Records. The band is still contractually obligated to release one more album with Prospect Park. Bathory is excited for the writing process, adding, "We have a couple of ideas floating around. One of them is to make a little bit of a retro record, just to have fun and do a thrash metal vibe, and then there are new ideas that are completely different, involving elements that we’ve never had before."